Valve seeks geek to design 'platform hardware'
New kit on the box
Valve has hinted it is building its own hardware platform, possibly to tie in with its Steam online games service, after reaching out for an experienced electronics engineer to help with the project.
"We’re developing hardware to enhance [gaming] experiences, and you can be a key part of making that happen," reads a post on Valve's situations vacant board.
"Work with the hardware team to conceive, design, evaluate, and produce new types of input, output and platform hardware."
The italics are ours and we've highlighted that phrase because Valve was recently rumoured to be have its own version of cloud-connected gaming system OnLive in the works, although the anticipated announcement was never made.
Is Valve working on kit like this?
The employment opportunity posting does little to clarify what product Valve specifically intends to manufacture, but with an already established hardware team and the need for someone with recommended knowledge of both ARM and x86 system design, we expect the company's plans for a new gaming box are already steaming ahead.
Can you imagine if Valve launched hardware alongside another installment of Half Life? The world would go crazy. ®
COMMENTS
They'll create V1 of it.
They'll create V2 of it.
They'll create V2r1 of it.
They'll create V2r2 of it.
One thing that has amazed me with Valve is that they do this great software, and they're wanting to work with hardware, yet they cannot count above 2!
Also, please insert your own joke about how small that device looks, Gabe's fatrolls and needing a Search & Rescue team. I don't want to delay Ep 3 by another month, so I'm giving you guys the tools to do it yourself!
Valve hardware
It won't have a power cord. It won't need it, because it will be powerd by Steam!
I've said it before and I'll say it again : I have had nothing but an excellent experience with Steam in general. It is user-friendly, there are good deals to be found, it is robust and doesn't bother me, and it survives hard disk changes and OS wipes/reinstalls/upgrades without any complaint.
I have tried other platforms and they are almost universally trolling the sewers next to Valve (EA Games, I am looking VERY HARD in your particular direction).
If Valve manages to put out some hardware to go along with its service, I'm willing to consider it favorably. That said, I fail to see just what kind of hardware Valve could put out that would be any kind of use. USB disk storage is already widely available, Valve will not replace my ISP and I already have loads of hardware on my PC for what I need. If it's just a dongle, I will be quite disappointed.
As long as I still use a keyboard and mouse, I'll be happy. Also, HL3 first please.
